Blue Skies and Blackbirds
by BlueIV
Summary: Shizuru, a nurse during a gruesome War, was always told to never get too attached to a patient. But when a mysterious solider named Natsuki is taken to her hospital, can Shizuru follow the 'Golden Rule? Shiznat, of course...
1. Prologue

_**Prologue:**_

This was the time in her life that she fell upon books as a way to escape; to forget the horrible images of rotting flesh, the sickening smell of dying men, and the screams for mercy. Yes, books had become half of her world—the better half. She sat in her quarters, being released from the hospital for the night, reading of far away places about heroism and spouts of courage. None of which she had at the moment.

The book lay open on her lap; the words becoming blurry and undecipherable because sleep was causing her eyes to feel heavy. She unconsciously brushed her hand over its smooth skin.

Earlier that day, the doctor had left her two bottles of wine, and each night she would ceremoniously pour herself a small proportion and carry it back to the night table, where she spent most of her time reading, and sip away. The wine was a treat, and though she knew it was wrong, she looked forward to it. Just like a book, it was a good way to escape.

Tomorrow would be another gruesome day at the war hospital. She would go about her day cleaning, sewing, and bandaging wounds; some fatal, some not. Nurses shuffling, doctors commanding, patients begging. Those are what her days consisted of. Then, at the end of the day, she would scrub her hands clean of crimson blood and even though they appeared to be unsoiled, she could always see the stains forever etched into her skin.

She had learned to travel around the hospital with an indifferent attitude. A mask always adorning her features.

She had also learned the 'Golden Rule' of the hospital:

_Never, ever, get attached to a patient._

Little did she know that she would be soon violating that rule and everything it stands for.

**Well, I figured that this could turn out to be a nice Shiznat story. Tell me if you think I should continue or not...whatever.**

**-Blue IV**


	2. Chapter 1

The town of Hime had been besieged for more than a month, the barrage focusing upon the two villas and the monastery surrounded by apple orchards and thickets of blackberries. The Villa Otome, where the generals lived. Just above it the Villa Zwei, previously a house for religious use, was made the stronghold of the enemy's army.

Soon the hill town began to be torn apart by shell fire, the troops moved from the barrack tents in the orchard into the now crowded bedrooms of Villa Zwei. Sections of the chapel were blown up and parts of the top stories of the villa crumbled under explosions.

The Allies finally took over the building and made it a hospital after a deadly and bloody battle with the enemy; which caused many casualties on both sides.

Now, like many women of Hime, Shizuru worked as a nurse; doing all she could to help save the poor souls that drifted in and out of the hospital. Coming out of what had happened to her during the war, she drew her own few rules to herself. She would not be ordered again or carry out duties for the "greater good". She would care only for the patients and would help the doctors carry out their work. Sometimes she would go out in the garden and orchard and help the locals gather the leftover provisions before winter set in.

Many nights, Shizuru would wake to the sound of explosions and gunfire ripping through the darkness. Their high-pitched screams of death were never mistaken. Like always, soon after, another wounded solider or civilian would wander into the hospital seeking treatment.

It amazed the young nurse how fast the medicine was used up. Even now, the hospital had long ago run out of penicillin. All they had left was the necessary first aid items and a small amount of morphine; which was used only when a patient was suffering excruciating pain and it was only right to let them have a small dosage. It would be a long time before a new shipment of supplies came. So, at the moment, all Shizuru could do was grit her teeth and try to block out the screams of agony; praying that supplies would come soon.

Or, maybe, the war to end.

But it didn't seem likely. The war had been occurring over such a long period of time that Shizuru found it difficult to reminisce about the days before her life all but revolved around the deadly event.

It was late afternoon. Shizuru's hands were sore as she finished bandaging a young man's leg; the shin splintered from a stray bullet. The bone beyond repair. She found herself praying for the man, although in reality he was a mere boy; not yet a grown man. She knew that if the injured leg became infected then the poor soul would have to have the limb taken from him. And since they reduced the usage of morphine, then he would most likely be wide awake when the doctors took it.

Thankfully, Shizuru would soon be able to relax when another nurse took over her shift. It was a welcoming thought. She was already looking forward to the indulgence of wine. Unfortunately, as she was about to leave, a frantic doctor burst through the swinging doors. All eyes shot in his direction. Shizuru could only watch motionlessly as the doctor's wild eyes connected with hers in an instant and he quickly made a beeline toward her; his blood-stained overcoat trailing behind him.

"Nurse, come with me," the doctor ordered, leaving no room for argument.

Shizuru followed his speedy gait with her own as she pondered what this was all about. Never had this happened before. Never had she had a doctor grab her and led her toward one of the few back rooms in the hospital, being sure to close the door behind them as they entered.

He did not allow her time to ask probing questions when she suddenly pointed a warning finger at her and ordered, "Stay here. Don't go anywhere."

Shizuru did as she was told even though she was suppose to be on break. But it couldn't be helped. She began to let her mind wander over the many possible reasons why she would be led into a back room and told to wait. The doctors only used the back rooms for emergencies.

She didn't have to wait long before two soldiers entered. Their eyes tired but held a since of urgency. It was then that Shizuru noticed the limp body being carried between them. She had almost over-looked the injured individual because they were so covered in blood, soot, dirt, and a uniform that was so tattered that it resembled shredded rags.

The two soldiers placed the lifeless corpse on the operating table that stood in the middle of the room. The doctors entered after them. The men in uniform were told to step out of the room. Shizuru could tell that they wanted to protest but were mostly too exhausted to argue so they made a slow exit; glancing back anxiously over their shoulders before they disappeared behind the door.

The young nurse couldn't help but be slightly confused by the series of events that had taken place before her eyes. Why would they bring a dead soldier into the emergency room? There was no way the combatant could be alive.

…Right?

Her question was soon answered when she saw the doctors immediately start to work on the motionless body. How could this person be alive? Even from her point of view she could see that the individual was so badly wounded that he was probably beyond help. She figured that this would be one of those cases where the doctors would take pity and give the soldier a small dosage of morphine to help him pass away without experiencing so much pain.

Shizuru was snapped out of her thoughts when one of the doctors; his voice fully professional declared, "Nurse come over here." When she had obliged he continued, "We need you to clean the body as best as you can. It'll be easier for us to see the extent of the damage."

The young woman caught sight of a wash pan and worn rags sitting on a metal cart located near the operating table. She pulled the cart closer, being careful not to disturb the doctors' rigorous work by getting in their way. She dipped the rag in the clean water and began to wash off the patient's bloodied, soot covered hands then moving up the arm. She noticed that the skin was covered in burns and tiny lacerations. She also took note of how the soldier's skin was smooth and feminine. She looked over the patient and guessed from the small frame of the body that the solider was a young boy; probably not even old enough to have felt the warmth of a woman.

She risked a glance at the face of the individual but her attempt was futile. The mess of raven hair covered its owners face like a filthy curtain of black.

She now began to clean the soldier's legs; that also held burns and tiny cuts but it seemed like the burns were worse on his lower half. Shizuru knew that the young boy was going to suffer if he woke by some miracle.

The tawny-haired nurse continued to rinse the grim off the body, becoming more and more suspicious about her assumptions. The boy's physical aspects didn't match up. She moved toward the soldier's head and carefully began to move aside the black tresses. Shizuru couldn't help the gasp that escaped from her lips as she stared down surprised at the now-revealed face of the wounded person.

It was a woman.

The doctors paid no heed to the nurse's sharp intake of breath since they were too involved with their work and occasional murmuring than to take notice.

Even under all the filth that covered the mysterious woman's face, Shizuru could tell that she was beautiful but as she began to wipe away the rubbish, revealing more and more of this mystifying human being, she saw how 'beautiful' was such an understatement to describe the young girl. The nurse was almost in a trance-like state as she gazed down at this indescribable creature. For, indeed, she was a 'creature', since Shizuru believed that a human being could not possess such beauty.

And just when the young nurse thought that this fascinating being could not be anymore magnificent, she was proven wrong yet again as a sliver of emerald green connected to her crimson orbs. Never before had she seen such a color. The emerald of the girl's steady gaze could match no green found on this world. She must have truly been crafted by God.

It was then that Shizuru realized that she would give up any and everything for this being to be able to live and rain grace upon her pitiful excuse of existence.


	3. Chapter 2

God must have heard her prayers because, by some miracle, the mysterious female soldier lived even though she had suffered from severe burns. After the doctors were finished with their patient, they had little time to celebrate so they told Shizuru that she was to be 'Captain Kuga's' personal nurse and was to tend to her every need. Shizuru agreed willingly but was more involved in her thoughts.

'_So your name is Kuga, is it? And you're a 'Captain' nevertheless. I am indeed curious about you Miss Kuga…' _

Every day she tends to her goddess-like patient's injuries. She always washes her with care; the skin an irritated red and blistered. She noticed that the burns are more harsh on the lower legs. The flesh around the shins are already shaded an ugly purple but it does nothing to destroy the beauty the young woman possesses.

Captain Kuga has yet to regain consciousness, but Shizuru took this time to try an answer some of her questions that revolve around the mysterious individual that lies in the other bed that occupies the young nurse's room. She eventually found one of the soldiers that helped carry the Captain into the emergency room that faithful day.

She remembered that he was staring at the floor with sad eyes as he sat in one of the rocker chairs that littered the porch of the hospital. He was slouched, elbows situated on his knees as his hands held his low-hung head. He looked like a man who just discovered that he had been defeated. She approached him cautiously then got his attention by saying in a polite tone, "Ara, you wouldn't happen to be the man whom helped Captain Kuga into the emergency room, would you?"

The soldier looked up slightly confused; not expecting anyone to speak to him. When he recovered from his initial shock he answered, "Yes ma'am, I was. May I ask whose doin' the asking?"

"I am Shizuru Fujino. I am Captain Kuga's personal nurse," She replied with a slight smile.

"Ah!" He paused while contemplating, then, "What's a nurse need with'a humble soldier such as myself?"

"I wanted to ask some questions about the Captain. If that's alright with you, of course."

"It 'tis alright," He inquired.

"How did the captain receive such injuries?"

"I'll just start from the beginning. Around August I was a 1st Lieutenant with 1st Platoon Company D, 101st Ground Patrol Div. The platoon was on patrol outside Camp Evans near enemy territory. In preparing for the coming night operation, the Captain had been directed to establish three ambush locations. With a platoon of only 18 troops it was kind of hard to do. We split into three squads. As we separated and moved out, I decided to go with 1st squad. This squad consisted of Sgt's Take and Idekito, my RTO, our medic "Doc", Cpl Rei Hideki, myself, and Captain Kuga was leading us.

We had picked an ambush site 2 kilometers, _"klicks"_, from our daytime position. We moved out an hour before dark. We used one of the many old tank trails left by the 5th Mech. when they worked the area. As was our norm I walked 3rd in line.

We reached our night spot and Kuga directed Idekito to move off the trail about 30 yards and into the waist high "saw grass". As we reached that point he made a right turn so as to make our line parallel to the trail. I had dropped my ruck and was talking to each squad member as they passed. My _RTO_ was standing next to me when there was an explosion and I found myself laying flat on my back about 10 feet from where I had been. I stood and moved back to where my rucksack lay.

Kuga was on the ground unconscious and looked blown to bits. My left hand was numb, bleeding and bent back. I could not see from my left eye and could see blood on my fatigue shirt. I sat on my rucksack as Sgt. Take came running in from the trail. He had been walking rear security and had not been in the blast area. Neither of us knew what had happened but I told him to check everybody.

As he moved off, I reached down to the radio on the _RTO's_ back and picked up the handset. I called the CO and told him we had been hit and that all packs were down. His immediate response was for me to change to the battalion radio frequency and call for med-evac. Before I could do that I heard urgent radio calls from the Captain's other two squads saying they had heard the explosion and my radio transmission and were on the way to us. In minutes I had contacted med-evac and they were on the way. I also could hear the other squads approaching, calling out in the dark to let us know who and where they were.

As I sat there, Sgt Tate returned to say that Kuga, Doc and Hideki were down hard and that he was not sure if Captain Kuga would make it. As we spoke the other squads moved in and began setting up security and providing what medical aid they could. I heard the med-evac copters approaching and they called wanting to know the type of contact we had been involved in and how long ago. I told them that we had hit a mine or booby-trap and that we had the LZ secured.

I sat and watched as the 1st bird landed, watched as the Captain and a few other members were loaded aboard and then watched the bird lift and move away. My thoughts were 'Wait, I'm hurt too', but before I knew it a second bird sat down and I was being carried aboard. Sgt. Take had also been put on the same bird. Then we were brought here."

Shizuru sat and listened to the entire story. She felt like she could understand the Captain even better now.

Shizuru pushes open all the windows in the room so she can hear the noises of the night. She undresses, rubs her palms gently over her stiff neck and for a while, and lies down on the unmade bed. The noise of the trees, the breaking of moon into silver bouncing off the leaves of oak outside. She silently makes her way over to the spare bed in her room which holds the mysterious Captain Kuga.

The moon that illuminates through the window, cast itself on her burned figure like skin, a sheaf of water. It makes the injured woman's pale skin glow and come alive. For a minute, Shizuru could see the way the raven-haired beauty must have looked before the unfortunate event forever marred her body.

Desire swelled in the pit of her stomach. Never before had she yearned for someone so strongly. She wished to wrap her arms around the wounded girl and give her a passionate kiss that would surely wake the girl from her slumber.

She trailed the tips of her fingers down the side of a pale cheek and marveled at the electricity that was being emitted from that simple touch.

"Wake soon, my sleeping beauty," Shizuru whispered into the night air.

**Before you start complaining, I'm very much aware that this chapter was pretty uneventful but look on the brightside, at least it's over and done with. Now all you have to do is sit back, relax, and wait for the next chapter. **


	4. Chapter 3

Sometimes Shizuru collects several blankets and lies under them, enjoying them more for their weight than for the warmth they bring. And when moonlight slides onto the ceiling it wakes her, and she lies in bed, her mind wanders. She finds rest as opposed to sleep the truly pleasurable state. To rest was to receive all aspects of the world without judgment. Tenderness towards the unknown and anonymous.

She never looked at herself in mirrors again. As he war got darker she received reports about how certain people she had known had died. She feared the day she would remove blood from a patient's face and discover someone she had ties with. She grew harsh with herself and the patients. Reason was the only thing that might save them, and there was no reason. She swabbed arms that kept bleeding. She removed so many pieces of shrapnel she felt she'd transported a ton of metal out of various patients that she had cared for while the army travelled north. On nights when one of her patients died she would become tougher and leaner. She became thin, mostly from tiredness and guilt. She was always hungry and found it a furious exhaustion to feed a patient who couldn't eat or didn't want to, watching the bread crumble away, the soup cool. She wanted air that smelled of nothing human, wanted moonlight even if it came with a rainstorm.

Caring was brief.

There was a contract only until death. Nothing in her spirit or past had taught her to be a nurse. She never got too close to a patient for fear of losing yet another loved one. That is the reason she went about her work with a stone wall enclosing her heart. It was indestructible. It was incorrigible.

That is, until Captain Kuga.

The woman known only as Kuga, no first name, only a rank. Mystery surrounded her like grace and beauty. It was as much as a part of herself as her own still beating heart; weak as it was.

Her legs move under the burden of many military blankets. She swims in their wool as she listens to the soft breathing of the Goddess that was currently sharing her room, since the hospital simply had no space to provide for another injured solider.

Day after day, Shizuru would lay belladonna over her eyes; give her saline baths for the broken skin and extensive burns. The work was tedious and continuous, but the crimson-eyed nurse all but loved those moments. She would grace her own selfish need to touch the angel-like beauty and feel the static jolts of caressing the marred skin. The Captain had broken down those towering walls of defense and invaded her soul to the very core. Now, she had been stripped bare and was vulnerable against this power the sleeping beauty possess.

There was something about the injured woman she wanted to learn, grow into, and hide in, where she could turn away from being an adult. There was some little waltz in the way the raven-haired girl made Shizuru feel. She wanted to save her, this mysterious, injured woman who had been one of the two hundred or so placed in her care during the invasion of the enemy.

As Shizuru lied in her bed and multiple sheets, something flickered in her eye. A slight movement across the room where the sleeping beauty slumbered all day and all night for over three weeks. She got up slowly and went towards it. In the darkness she could not see Captain Kuga's face, only the bare arms, carefully placed outside the blanket. When she had approached the bed Shizuru stilled herself as if she could be camouflaged by the stillness. She was uncertain at first about touching the injured girl but proceeded with a spark of courage and the desire to feel the electric touch of skin against skin. Her hand ghosts over the bare shoulder when…

A flash of inhumane speed.

Before Shizuru's mind can process what's happened she finds herself horizontal; facedown against the bed and her arm pinned painfully behind her back. She cries out in pain as her limb is twisted and her bones shift incorrectly; threatening to break under the strain. And then, as quickly as it came, the attack had ceased.

Taking care not to strain her injured arm, the nurse scrambled from the bed, her eyes wide in shock. There before her, Captain Kuga, alive and awake. The mysterious girl fell back onto the bed and cringed in excruciating pain. She let out a long, prolonged growl of pain through her clenched teeth as she curled into herself.

Shizuru became frightened when the raven-haired woman would not stop shaking; her muscles having a series of spasms. The young nurse was unsure of what to do before she remembered that the doctors had given her specific orders to keep in her care a single shot of morphine to give to the patient when she awoke. They must have predicted that this would happen.

In a frenzy, Shizuru tore across the room and flung open the mahogany chest at the end of her bed.

There.

She grabbed the needle full of morphine and ran back to the figure producing soulful cries that pierced the night. Quickly she located the vein and slid the spike deep and injected the much-needed substance. Fists were quick to grasp the front of her nightgown in a gesture of malice.

"It's okay. You're safe now. No one is here to hurt you," Shizuru's voice rang out above the wounded howls. And as if in understanding, those emerald orbs lost all threat and the desperate grasp upon the front of the nurse's gown shrunk in power. "You're safe now. You're safe now."

"_You're safe now_."

**Hey, everyone, can you believe it? I'm actually in a pretty decent mood today. The reason why this is, is because I've met a pretty awesome girl who has succeeded in making my day a little brighter. Even though she constantly calls me really funky nicknames and is always boosting my ego then watching as it crashes and burns, she's pretty cool. **

**So, here's to you, Daphne (a.k.a. BrokenxSky)**

**You have successfully helped me and a bunch of other people; whom I would have most likely offended in the future. Let's all give her a 'round of applause!**


	5. Chapter 4

**Blue Skies and Blackbirds**

Chapter 4

Captain Kuga lies flat on her back, no pillow, looking up at the uneventful ceiling as birdsong filters through the open window that offers a perfect picture of green foliage, canopy of branches, and above that, blue sky. She whispers again as the young nurse beside her listens intently, straining to hear the softly spoken words. Her eyes lock onto something above, seeing something that Shizuru can't. The nurse moves her head into the line of the injured patient's vision, but the emerald stare travels through her as burned hands play with a piece of the bedding, the back of her ivory fingers caressing it. It was then that Shizuru decides to break the silence.

"Captain Kuga, perhaps you would like something to eat?" she offers, her mask carefully hiding the concern she feels for the raven-haired beauty. It has been four days and still, the solider refuses to eat.

No answer.

Shizuru tries anyways. She bends over the frail body and places a small proportion of peach in between the soft lips. Her open mouth holds it but the jaw does not move, the fresh fruit denied.

Just then, the sirens went off; their voices loud and persistent, warning that a threat was rearing its ugly head. The usual flow of patients, nurses, and doctors became more like a frenzy as bodies shoved past each other, desperate to get to safety. Shizuru watched all of this from her bedroom window. Her eyes showing her uncertainty and alarm. Suddenly, the door to her room burst open; the hinges didn't even have a chance to groan as they usually did.

"Shizuru!" Her fellow nurse, Mizuno Sakimoto, screamed over the blaring noise, "We have to get out of here! There's a bomb squad coming!"

And from Shizuru's place at the window, she could see the black specks of bomber planes on the horizon. She turned back around, ready to take shelter but her heart refused to leave as her eyes caught a glimpse of the room's other occupant. There was no way she could leave without the Captain.

"I can't leave without her," Shizuru shouted back as she motioned to the solider in the room. "Go on without me, I'll be alright!"

"Are you crazy? This hospital is going to be one of the first places to be hit and I refuse to leave you here," Even as Mizuno said this, the terror in her eyes caused her to move towards the exit. It wasn't long before she was gone.

An explosion occurs nearby causing Shizuru's heart to become taunt from the muffled blast. She ran away from the window, suddenly wary about being close to the glass. Her crimson eyes quickly scanned the room until they caught sight of something unexpected. Beautiful green eyes locked with hers and the nurse faintly recalled that it was the first time that those orbs actually looked at her. Really looked at her. Another dull explosion, this one slightly closer, shocked her out of her stupor. Shizuru scurried towards the bed with the injured girl lying on it, the ground rumbling as the enemy aircrafts came closer. She took hold of the side of the mattress and, with little difficulty, pulled it from its metal frame. The Captain cringed slightly as the mattress hit the floor, jarring her burned body. The tawny-haired woman slid the soldier's body from the soft mattress as gently as possible, being careful not to further damage her wounds. Then, grabbing the girl by her arms, she began to drag her towards the open closet. The wounded cries that escaped from the girl struck at Shizuru's heart. It hurt her to know that she was causing this girl more pain, but her actions were necessary.

She carefully propped the Captain up against the closet wall and then went back to the mattress. The sirens were almost completely drowned out by the rumbling of the fast-approaching planes. The walls began to shake from the loud hum of the engines before Shizuru was swept off her feet from another explosion and landed on her hip painfully. Her ears rang from the intensity of the blast. She quickly got back to her feet, ignoring the twinge of hurt that emitted from her side. All she could think about was Captain Kuga's safety as she began to drag the mattress towards the closet.

She forced the bedding through the closet, offering the wounded girl protection from any shrapnel or stray glass. Another explosion; this one ripped the wall away and, in the spray of the blast, flung Shizuru's body upwards and then down into the closet door. Red crossed her vision and blocked her sight. Her whole body felt like it was on fire as red, hot, searing pain shrouded her surroundings.

She was only faintly aware of a tug on the front of her nurse's uniform, before she succumbed to the darkness that lined her vision.

* * *

**So, yeah...There you have it the next chapter of Blue Skies and Blackbirds. I hope you enjoyed it. Also, if you have read the newest story of BrokenxSky and you are aware of the author's note then let me say this: 'I am not a puppy, DAMNIT!'**

**There. Now that that is said and done, I have one more announcement--**

**BrokenxSky is threatening to take off her story since she hasn't been getting any reviews. So, if you really want to make me happy, write her some reviews. I swear it's like she lives on them or something...**

**-BlueIV**


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